League Two Fleetwood knock out Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties

Summarised from 4 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 28 Oct, 17:11 · Archive

League Two side Fleetwood Town eliminated Premier League champions Arsenal from the Carabao Cup in a penalty shootout at Highbury Stadium.

Fleetwood Town pulled off one of the biggest cup upsets in English football history on Tuesday night, eliminating Premier League champions Arsenal from the Carabao Cup on penalties at Highbury Stadium. The match ended 1-1 after normal time, with Fleetwood winning the subsequent shootout 5-3.

Fleetwood, currently 18th in League Two with three league wins this season, took the lead when Fulham loanee Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored after 21 minutes. Arsenal equalised through Viktor Gyokeres, whose effort came in fortunate circumstances as the ball deflected towards him and rolled over the line. The goal marked Gyokeres' first of the season after 11 attempts.

Arsenal started with a heavily rotated squad and failed to impose themselves throughout. They managed only five shots on target against the fourth-tier side, struggling particularly in the wet and windy conditions at the Lancashire ground.

The match went to a penalty shootout after neither side scored in extra time. Fleetwood converted all five of their penalties. Arsenal's Bruno Guimaraes saw his effort saved by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch, proving decisive. Defender Conor Haughey, 19, scored the winning penalty, his emphatic kick flying into the top corner and sparking a pitch invasion.

Haughey, who signed from Northern Ireland club Glentoran, described the moment as surreal. "You have to pick your side and trust yourself," he said after the match. "All our players did that." His former coach at Glentoran, academy director Andy Mathieson, praised his composure, saying nothing ever fazed the teenager.

Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch revealed that Arsenal's players did not exchange words with their counterparts after the loss. Speaking on talkSPORT, Lynch said: "They didn't take it well, let's put it that way." He explained that supporters streaming onto the pitch prevented any post-match interaction between the teams.

The victory marks Fleetwood's first-ever appearance in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. The club's connection to Arsenal runs deeper than the recent match: Fleetwood's ground shares the name Highbury with Arsenal's former London stadium, and the club wears red shirts with white sleeves styled after the classic Arsenal kit, reportedly a kit donated by Arsenal many years ago.

How it is being reported

• ‘This isn’t supposed to happen’: giant-slaying Fleetwood revels in fairytale Arsenal winFishing town in disbelief the morning after their footballing minnows beat mighty Arsenal on penalties On a wet and windy night on the north-west coast of England, a League Two side sensationally knocked the Premier League champions out of the Carabao Cup. But this is not just a fairytale story of giant-slaying; Fleetwood Town and Arsenal have an unlikely history that stretches back long before Tuesday night’s game. Arsenal played at their iconic Highbury stadium until 2006, and Fleetwood’s ground has the same title, being named after Highbury Avenue, the adjoining street. Continue reading...The Guardian · 28 Oct, 16:52
• Penalty against Arsenal 'like a dream' for HaugheyFleetwood Town defender Conor Haughey tells BBC Sport NI's Thomas Kane about his winning penalty in the Carabao Cup shootout win against Arsenal, the reaction from those back home in Belfast and who he wants next in the draw.BBC Sport · 28 Oct, 16:50
• Football Daily | Fleetwood go their own way to down Arsenal and live Carabao Cup dreamSign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Having made a passing reference to Mick Fleetwood in Tuesday’s thrilling edition of your favourite email, Football Daily genuinely wasn’t expecting to be repeatedly typing that particular F-word in our lead story in today’s edition. While we were aware Arsenal were in the coastal town of Fleetwood for a Fizzy Cup tie that could scarcely have been less glamorous than the previous evening’s Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Palladium, the needle on our patented Potential Shock-o-Meter had barely moved before a match pitting the Premier League…Guardian Football · 28 Oct, 16:08
• Conor Haughey: British teenager praised for helping Fleetwood Town dump Arsenal out of Carabao CupConor Haughey fired home the decisive spot kick to send the 'Cod Army' of Fleetwood Towns fans into ecstasy, as it knocked Premier League champions Arsenal out of the Carabao CupThe Mirror · 28 Oct, 14:09
• OLIVER HOLT: Why Fleetwood beating Arsenal is the biggest Cup upset I've ever been to - and the rest of my top 10How do Fleetwood's heroics compare to Lionel Messi being stunned at the World Cup, or the comeback to end all comebacks in the Champions League final?Daily Mail Sport · 28 Oct, 14:06
• Arsenal 'didn't take it well' as Fleetwood hero reveals post-match behaviourFleetwood Town goalkeeper Jay Lynch says Arsenal's stars didn't take their Carabao Cup upset defeat wellMirror Sport · 28 Oct, 13:46
• Fleetwood humiliation exposed transfer mistake that could derail Arsenal's seasonArsenal were embarrassingly dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League Two side Fleetwood Town with the Gunners’ attack in particular coming in for harsh criticism in the aftermathMirror Sport · 28 Oct, 13:08

In this story: Fleetwood Town · Arsenal · Viktor Gyokeres · Conor Haughey · Jay Lynch · Bruno Guimaraes · Aaron Loupalo-Bi · Highbury Stadium

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log